Shloka 18

भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः

Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa

Devanagari script

बृहदुक्थस्तपस्यैव पुत्रो भूमिमुपाश्रित: । अन्निहाोत्रे हूयमाने पृथिव्यां सद्धिरिज्यते,इस पृथ्वीपर जब अग्निहोत्र होने लगता है, उस समय तप (पाञ्चजन्य)-के ही पुत्र बृहदुक्थ इस भूतलपर स्थित हो श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंद्वारा पूजित होते हैं

Transliteration

bṛhadukthas tapasy eva putro bhūmim upāśritaḥ | agnihotre hūyamāne pṛthivyāṃ sadhir ijyate ||

Translation

मार्कंडेय म्हणाले—तपस्‌चा पुत्र बृहदुक्थ या भूमीवर प्रतिष्ठित आहे. आणि पृथ्वीवर जेव्हा अग्निहोत्राची आहुती दिली जाते, तेव्हा तो सत्पुरुषांकडून यथाविधी पूजिला जातो.

Word by Word

बृहदुक्थःBṛhaduktha (a person)

तपस्यof Tapas (asceticism / a person named Tapas)

एवindeed/only

पुत्रःson

भूमिम्the earth/ground

उपाश्रितःhaving resorted to / situated upon

अग्निहोत्रेin/at the Agnihotra (fire-offering)

हूयमानेwhile being offered (into the fire)

पृथिव्याम्on the earth

सद्भिःby the good/virtuous people

इज्यतेis worshipped / is honored

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Bṛhaduktha

Tapas

Agnihotra

Pṛthivī (Earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms that the maintenance of sacred duty—especially the Agnihotra—sustains dharma and becomes the occasion for honoring worthy beings; reverence and ritual responsibility reinforce moral and cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes Bṛhaduktha, identified as Tapas’s son, as dwelling upon the earth and being honored by virtuous people at the time when Agnihotra offerings are performed.